My First Pool Kit….Builder Edition

[Lake Placid]

Great for wanna be pool builders of all ages. Kit comes complete with undersized SWG, cheap non repairable valves, equipment pad that fits in half of a standard bathroom stall for minimal storage concerns, and black algae within six weeks of opening. Get yours today before supplies run out! Today only for the first 100 callers, get two kits for the price of one!

/Sarcasm off

Long story short….HOA pool is less than a year old. Construction ran months over deadline. I was called in at the end of last season for a consult for black algae six weeks after the pool was opened. Delivered a 16 page owners rep report detailing deficiencies of the actual build to the blueprinted specifications. Ended up adding the account to my portfolio this year….Opened the panel yesterday after discovering the Inteliflo3 was delivering an under volt error. Found the pump pigtailed to two independent single circuit 20 amp breakers (at least one was gfci so it’s safeish ). Only one was labeled main pool pump….SWG was pigtailed into the same mess so was being backfed through one breaker even though its labeled breaker was off. Builder originally wired the Intelliflo 3 for 120v then must have realized the 3HP pump only runs on 240. Supremely frustrated and disappointed that hacks take folks hard earned money and deliver .

Pictures of the pad for a giggle. It’s trapezoid shaped. For reference left side is 7 ft long, right side is 5ft, width is 5 ft. Who does this and thinks they know what they are doing!

 

[TinFoilHat]

And all those ball valves! I think I can see a pump in the faaaar baaack corner. Must be fun straddling all that mess to get to the controller.

 

[Lake Placid]

And all those ball valves! I think I can see a pump in the faaaar baaack corner. Must be fun straddling all that mess to get to the controller.

I had to load the filter with 300# of sand yesterday to meet the freeboard requirement. Filter was basically 1/3 low. That was fun straddling the mess of pipe. You see a 2.2 HP Whisperflo for colorvision lights/bubblers in the background. Getting the drain plugs in was a pleasure, I assure you!

 

[Newdude]

The plumbing made me chuckle but then it hit me that maybe it saved them a ton of money on a jungle gym for the kids. No need for both.

 

[Lake Placid]

The plumbing made me chuckle but then it hit me that maybe it saved them a ton of money on a jungle gym for the kids. No need for both.

Well they did fill in the baby pool with concrete….so maybe that was the plan all along!

 

[Jimrahbe]

LP,

I like how they planned for future revenue, by making the backwash pipe stop right above the IntelliFlo3, so that when it leaks, it will drip right on the pump's control panel...

What Industry are you actually in???

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[proavia]

It took a whole new level of stupid to lay out that pad.

 

[Lake Placid]

LP,

I like how they planned for future revenue, by making the backwash pipe stop right above the IntelliFlo3, so that when it leaks, it will drip right on the pump's control panel...

What Industry are you actually in???

Thanks,

Jim R.

Actually that's me. It's just temporary as the builder removed the discharge hose and all associated backwash plumbing when "winterizing". The fluid master autofill valve also disappeared when he winterized. I'm back today at the property to properly configure the backwash and correct all the electrical deficiencies.

 

[Lake Placid]

It took a whole new level of stupid to lay out that pad.

You'll note the brass plugs in the suction piping. That's because the builder installed the county mandated blue white flow meters on the suction side of of the pumps. My report called that out and he moved them to the pressure side. The kicker when he reinstalled them they were still oriented backwards to the direction of flow so they still didn't work.

 

[ajw22]

I think you can follow that builder around and make a good living

 

[Capt. Obvious]

I don't understand how someone can do work this terrible with good conscience. Thanks for another reminder as to why I do all my own work on pretty much everything.

 

[Jimrahbe]

That's because the builder installed the county mandated blue white flow meters

LP,

I find it hard to believe that a residential pool needs a flow meter.. A public pool yes, I doubt it applies to a residential pool..

Got a reference of any kind about this requirement??

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Lake Placid]

LP,

I find it hard to believe that a residential pool needs a flow meter.. A public pool yes, I doubt it applies to a residential pool..

Got a reference of any kind about this requirement??

Thanks,

Jim R.

It's a 35,500 gallon HOA pool for a townhome/condo complex. Regardless of size it falls under public bathing code in our county. Therefore it has to have flow meters, specific chemical conditions, turnover times etc. Its common in this area. All my condo pools fall under public regs.

 

[Jimrahbe]

LP,

Sorry, I missed the fact that it was not your personal residential pool...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Lake Placid]

LP,

Sorry, I missed the fact that it was not your personal residential pool...

Thanks,

Jim R.

Oh man if that was my pool I would have tarred and feather the builder. . It wouldn't have gotten that bad as I would have followed him inch by inch over the blueprints.

 

[Lake Placid]

Well today’s update. An hours worth of labor got all the equipment rewired correctly with gfci breakers. @Jimrahbe unfortunately I didn’t get to the backwash plumbing, the rain that wasn’t in the forecast set in on me. Rest assured my revenue growth plans don’t include destroying other peoples quality equipment, so I’ll correct the backwash plumbing in due course.

I should have known check valves were an advanced course (My Second Pool Kit - Builders Edition ages 12 and up) and not in the My First Pool Kit Builders Edition (all ages). The bubbler pump and main circ pump share the same 3” plumbing from the main drain with only crappy $3 Everbuilt ball shutoff valves. End result when I fired up the bubbler pump today and shut it off the main circ pump started drawing through the bubbler pump and losing prime. I wonder why . Next upgrade, check valve on the suction side of the bubbler pump.